FIA Introduces Power Restrictions To Limit Top Speeds At Monaco Grand Prix

The FIA has announced significant changes to power deployment rules ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, the next race in the 2026 F1 championship.
This year’s Monaco GP marks the first time the new 2026 Formula 1 cars will race around the streets of the principality following the regulations overhaul.
The new cars are smaller, lighter and narrower than their predecessors, with hopes that the changes will produce more overtaking around the notoriously narrow street circuit.
Under the 2026 regulations, power units deploy varying amounts of power at different points on the circuit, making use of systems such as the boost button and overtake mode.
Normally, cars must harvest significant energy before they can deploy their boost mode, which provides additional power on straights, but Monaco’s many slow corners mean drivers will carry excess energy throughout the lap.
Concerns have emerged over how fast the cars could travel on the three fastest sections of the track, namely the start-finish straight, Beau Rivage and the tunnel section, all of which lead directly into slow, tight corners.
In response to those safety concerns, the FIA has mandated a specific engine mode setting for all cars at Monaco that restricts maximum power deployment on the straights.
Cars will not be permitted to activate battery deployment once they are travelling at 300km/h, which represents a notable reduction from the standard threshold of 350km/h.
This power restriction follows a separate rule change already announced for Monaco, which will prevent the use of straight mode throughout the race weekend.
Straight mode will not be in operation at Monaco, meaning the rear and front wing flaps will remain shut throughout each lap around the streets of the principality, also on safety grounds.
Both measures represent a considerable departure from the rules that have applied across the opening five grands prix weekends of the 2026 season.
The combination of restricted power deployment and the removal of straight mode signals that the FIA is taking a cautious approach to the debut of the new cars on one of the calendar’s most demanding and unforgiving circuits.
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